Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Shhhhhhhh!

13 But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the LORD’s salvation He will provide for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you must be quiet.” Exodus 14:13-14 HCSB

"You must be quiet." Other versions say, "You must be still."

I don't know about you, but those four words--at times--are the hardest words to heed.

What do You mean Lord, be quiet, be still? Lord, You may not be aware of this fact, but You do need my help--no disrespectfulness intended. No, My child, I don't. But you don't understand Lord--I have to be in control! No one else understands this situation better than me and besides I can do it better than anyone! No, My child, you aren't, but I am. All I need for you to do is sit still and be quiet. Trust Me. I know you better than anyone,including yourself. For better or for worse, I will take care of you. I will go to bat for you. Don't you remember? Can you forget the cross? The manger? I've been from the beginning to the end for you. You need to STOP. You need to LET GO. You need to RELEASE.

Your Heavenly Father is your biggest ally. Do you realize that? Do you truly & completely realize that? Do you realize that at times, when we think or feel that we are helping, we are actually hindering? That while we are trying to do it all on our own relying upon our own strength and wisdom, that all we are truly doing is blocking Him from being the protector, Father and Savior that He wants and was designed to be?

When you find yourself in one of those moments, please be humble & wise enough to stop, step back, and pray for God's infinite wisdom to come and cover the situation. To give you the grace to just sit and be still. To trust in His love for you and to be able to listen to Him. It will be the best quiet time you could possibly have!

2 The LORD is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I will praise Him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
Exodus 15:2 HCSB

Monday, December 19, 2011

Busy, Busy, Busy

"7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:7 NKJV

Busy, busy, busy! We are always so busy! And then they add Christmas to the list! The nerve! Can you believe it? What do they expect from me? After all, I'm only one person! I can't wait for Christmas to be over!

Is that you? Do you hear yourself saying those things? Or think them? If so--how sad. How terribly sad.

This should be the one of the most awesomeness times of the year. You are experiencing the beginning of a miracle. Oh, there are so many miracles in the Christmas story--too many to name now.

Just the fact that Jesus came to Earth in the form of a little baby, for you. Just for you. Unlike many babies, He knew when He was going to die and how. He knew that it would not be a pleasant life's journey. Oh, there would be a moment here and there--friendships made along the way, beautiful sunrises and glorious sunsets, close spiritual moments with His Father and angels along the way. But mixed in--the knowledge of never being really accepted, being homesick for home, being misjudged. Yet knowing all of this, He came anyway. For you. For me.

Who has made Christmas the busy, tense time of year? Was it Jesus? Was it God? The Holy Spirit? No. It was us--mankind.

Let's not take away from Him what He's so richly entitled to--to be the first and foremost in our thoughts and lives. Let's not be like the inn--too full to let Him be there. Let's pray for all the clutter, all the busyness, to go to the back of your mind. This leaves room for your Lord to be in the front. For your first thoughts to be from Him and about Him. So that He has room to speak with you. To guide you.

During this last six days before Christmas Day, seek His face. Look for it everywhere and in every place. Let His presence bring order to your thoughts, feelings and life. In doing this, you are insured to having His infusing Peace enter your entire being.

And pray. Pray that if you have lost that joyful, expecting a wondrous moment feeling that only Christmas can bring, to have Him to please bring it back. And then receive it.

Have a CHRISTmas kind of day today!

"10 Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'" Luke 2:10-11 NKJV

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Who's in Charge?

" 26 'Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars,
Stretching his wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up
And makes his nest on high?
28 On the cliff he dwells and lodges,
Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place.'"
Job 39:26-29 NASB

God spoke these words to Job when he was in the midst of the storm. He, the Lord, was questioning Job. In essence, He was reminding Job who was God. Could Job speak to the hawk, telling him to spread his wings? Could Job control the eagle? No. Only Job's Lord could do that.

And then to me, it spoke of the power of my God. My God is the only God of all the Gods that has the power to rule the whole world. From the Heavens and above, to the depths of the land and the oceans below. My God is the only one that puts the hope of forever into my soul. My God is the only God that is strong enough and loves me enough to protect me--to put me upon that rocky crag, an inaccessible place, safe from my enemies.

As you go into this last week of this Christmas Season, let's focus of what should be the main gift we could give each other and that the Father yearns to give you--the gift of HOPE. I am not referring to the weak, wishing hope that the world wants to give us. No, we need to grasp the strong, mighty HOPE--the HOPE that means Faith. The HOPE that comes from the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. The HOPE--knowledge, faith, power--that gives your spirit light and strength in dark times.

On that night in Bethlehem--it was not just a baby that was born--it was HOPE.

"24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it." Romans 8:24-25 NASB

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Eastmas

"7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:

“ When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)"
Ephesians 4:7-10 NKJV

Let me throw a what could be a new thought at you to chew on. What if Easter actually started with Christmas?

What in the world is she talking about? To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure. I'm chewing on this new thought right along side of you. But this is something that my Lord has been putting into my spiritual thought life. What if? What if Christmas wasn't just about the birth. That without the birth, the cross wouldn't have been. That not only did Jesus die for me, but He was also born for me. Does this make a little sense?

As I said earlier, I don't have a clear picture of what this is all meaning. But I don't have to to be able to share this with you. Because, what my Lord shows me, may very well be different than what He wants to show you.

So, this Christmas season, I challenge you. I challenge you to take this thought and pray, mediate and ponder upon it. Ask your Lord to show you His special meaning that He has already designed for you to receive.

Shake up Christmas this year! Humbly and graciously ask for the gifts of new insight and understanding that will take you into a new and more intimate relationship with your Father this season.

Wow! What an AWESOME Christmas we will have! Can't you just sense it?!

"3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay." 1 Peter 1:3-4 NLT

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Holy Blindness

"...Jesus asked, 'What do you want me to do for you?'

'Lord, I want to see!' he answered.

Jesus replied, 'Look and you will see! Your eyes are healed because of your faith.' Right away the man could see, and he went with Jesus and started thanking God. When the crowds saw what happened, they praised God."
Luke 18:38-43 CEV

You may recognize this as the parable of the blind man because it is. But instead of looking at it at it's face value, let's go a little deeper, shall we?!

What do you think that Jesus was trying to say to us through this parable? Could it be that we are all basically born blind. We are like a batch of little kittens or puppies. Little puppies and kittens are born with their eyes closed.

They are closed for the first few weeks of their lives. They can't see anything-- their environment, their surroundings, their own brothers and sisters. Their caregiver. Not even themselves. They can't see but they can feel. During those weeks, the caregiver is licking on their eyes, keeping them clean and free from debris and germs. As they mature, and their eyes are ready to take the brightness of their world, the eyes are suddenly opened. First little slits, and then each day, a little more until they are full blown, wide open.

Well, I think we are a lot like that. We are born into this world, and we are are blind. We are blind to the fact that we need our Lord. We are blind to the fact that we are not complete without Him. We are blind to the fact that we are born into the arms of a Father that has designs for us. Great designs. Designs to bless us, not to harm us. A Father that loves us wholly and completely, even in our blindness.

You see, your Father is and will always be there. He has been there from the very beginning. You don't have to ask Him to become a part of your life--He has always and will forever be there. It's you that needs to accept that knowledge and say "Yes!".

This blind man begged. He had begged for a long time. Begged for love, attention, security, acknowledgement, true relationships. But were did it get him?

Then what happened when he called out to Jesus? He only had to called twice. I'm sure that once would have been enough but the people around him starting shushing him. Did you notice that even though He couldn't see Jesus, he felt Jesus. He just knew. He had his faith. Great faith. And what is faith? Faith is believing in things that you cannot see.

What about you? Do you only believe in things that you can see? Do you find comfort in things that are tangible? That you can hold in your hand? You say, "I want to believe but I need something that I can feel. That I can hold. That is what I need to put my faith into."

Well, you know, you've had it all along. What is it? It's the Holy Bible. God in tangible, holdable form.

Are you ready? Are you ready to see--to REALLY see? See the life that your Heavenly Father has planned for you? All you have to do is say "Yes"!

Monday, November 28, 2011

The True Meaning of Hospitality

"When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, 'Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home.' Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him." Luke 19:5-6 MSG

In case you don't know the story, Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in Jericho. Tax collectors were not very well liked or respected. But Zacchaues, had heard of this man called Jesus and for whatever reason, wanted to see Him. He was so earnest in this need, that he ended climbing up a fig tree in order to be taller than the crowd.

And what did Jesus do? Did Jesus shun him? Did Jesus ignore him? That is what Zacchaeus was used to. No. Jesus stopped and looked up at Zacchaeus and said he had to come down out of the tree for He was going to be a guest at his home. In fact, the NIV version states, "I MUST stay at your house today." That implies a divine necessity. That it was part of the greater plan.

And what did Zacchaeus do? Did he say, "Sorry, but I don't want you to come to my home. I'm a busy man and just wanted a peek at you. I don't want and I can't take the time to have you go home with me, make you a meal and then entertain you. I'll get a raincheck." No. What does it say in the MSG version? It says that he scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his great luck, delighting in bringing Jesus to his home. Wow!

Here is a man that his community looked upon as a sinner, a piece of dirt and treated him as such. But who had the heart that was open to have Jesus enter in? Zacchaues. Who scrambled, out of a 30-40 foot tree--which wouldn't have been easy for a short, stout man--to receive his guest? Zacchaues. Who looked upon this command as a moment of great luck--a wonderful gift--and not an inconvenience? Zacchaues. And who was delighted--full of joy, happy, tinkled pink--to take Jesus home? Yes, Zacchaues.

We have a lot to learn from Zacchaues, don't you think? How many times have you had the opportunity to look for Jesus, and because it was too hard, or because it would cause you an inconvenience, you put it off for another day? How many times when Jesus was asking you to come and be with Him, to invite you to open yourself, your heart, your spirit to receive Him, did you say, "Oh, not today. I need to clean things up and I don't have time right now." That you didn't look upon it as a great gift, but as a have to? As an irritation? And how many times have you been delighted when Jesus comes calling? Be honest--how many?

Maybe Zacchaues was a sinner--but on that day--the angels were cheering for him. On that day, he entered the courts with thanksgiving. On that day he became a new creation in Christ. The old was gone, and the new remained.

What about you?

Friday, November 25, 2011

תודה, תודה לך! (Hebrew for Thank You)--Day 5

"For I received from the Lord the teaching that I passed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and said,
This is my body, which is for you. Do this in memory of me. In the same way, after the supper he took the cup and said,
This cup is God's new covenant, sealed with my blood. Whenever you drink it, do so in memory of me.

This means that every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 GNT

Dear Jesus,

I read this verse today and a realization came to me. You knew. You knew that when You were having the last supper with Your apostles, that you were going to die that very evening. Die for sin. Human sin. Die for me! Die for my sin. And You gave thanks anyway. Wow!

Where were Your emotions that night Jesus? Were you sad? Scared? Hesitant? All those emotions would be perfectly acceptable. Maybe You were even a little excited. After all, You were finishing what You came for. You would be able to be back in Your rightful place, at the right hand of Your Father. Back in Your own skin, so to speak. What were you feeling?

Dear Jesus, I am truly grateful for what You did. I can't even begin to wrap my mind, heart or spirit around it. I praise You and Your infinite love and grace that You have shown me from the moment I was knitted in my mother's womb. I thank you for never feeling that You were cheated. By that I mean that I don't think that You ever felt that You wished that You hadn't done what You did. That You got the short end of the stick. That if You could, You would take back Your sacrifice. That is what I'm afraid that I, in my humanity, would feel. But You don't.

I praise You for Your faith in me. It is totally amazing to me that You, in all Your infinite wisdom, can trust me to do some of the things that You have entrusted me to do. Thank you for using me in that way. For working through me.

In Your love, I am totally humbled yet totally empowered at the same time. That, in Your love for me, it doesn't matter how smart I am, what I look like, my accomplishments, my talents, my body shape--it doesn't matter. Your love for me and our relationship isn't hinged on that. You look in my heart and to You, I am the most perfect child anyone could ever have. And for that, I thank you.

Each and every day, I remember you. Each and every day, I am in communion with you.

"They will be My people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way so that for their good and for [the good of] their descendants after them, they will fear Me always.

I will make with them an everlasting covenant: I will never turn away from doing good to them, and I will put fear of Me in their hearts so they will never again turn away from Me. I will rejoice over them to do what is good to them, and I will plant them faithfully in this land with all My mind and heart."
Jeremiah 32:38-41 HCSB

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Grazie!--Day 4

"Thank God for this gift, his gift. No language can praise it enough!" 2 Corinthians 9:15 MSG

Happy Thanksgiving Day my LORD!

Dear God, I thank You today for my ancestors who thought of this day so that we, as a nation, can stop and remember what You have done for us. I pray that there will come a day that we won't need a National holiday to help us remember to thank You. That everyday will be a day that we thank You, all day long. That it would be second nature. That it would seem weird not to thank You--whenever and where ever.

Today, especially I want to thank You. I want to be like the apostle Paul as he wrote the above passage and praise You for Your gift--Your precious Son, Jesus. And I too, feel like Paul--there are not enough words or the correct words, to thank and praise You. But thankfully, since You know my innermost being, You know.

I thank you for giving beyond to point of giving. For sacrificing Your one and only Son. For--even though You knew He would be coming back--You had to still go through some 30 years without Him on the throne next to You. That through that time, You had to watch Him be called names, hated, plotted against. That at the end, You had to watch Him receive the full weight of my sin and be totally detached from You and die. What a heart break that must of been! Yet because of Your immense love for me, You and He choose to do it anyway. I am SO humbled. I am SO thankful.

Dear Lord, please forgive me for those times when I forget. For when I go on thinking that I know better than You. When I think that my way is the only way. Dear Jesus, You didn't die in vain. Your life is what pumps the blood through my veins. Your love is the oxygen that fill my lungs. Your grace is the food that I need to feast on.

On this day of Thanks, I pray that others will realize that it is not just about turkey, cranberry sauce, black Friday. I pray that the true meaning becomes real. That the light comes into their dark places and they realize what has been true all along. That You gave us Your only and begotten Son to us. To cover us so that You could have a relationship with us. You yearned, desired and loved us that much. And then they receive that truth and impart that power into their lives and praise their Heavenly Father. What a gracious Father you are!

I simply and completely love You.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Danke schön!--Day 3

"Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart." Philippians 1:3 MSG

Good morning Lord!

What a GLORIOUS morning You gave me! You continually bless me with surprises from morning to night.

I woke up this morning with a thankful heart for the people you have placed in my life. People that have helped guide me and mold me into the child that you want me to be. People who have stayed and people who have just dropped by. People who have spoken into my life and changed me forever. People that may have never spoken, but just by being there, their presence is what spoke. You planted them all and I thank You.

I thank you for the times that You have allowed me to speak into other's lives. Thank you for that tender moment when two souls can come together and just pray and You come. Thank you for breakthrough, for healing of emotional and spiritual scares, for Holy tears.

Dear Jesus, I thank you for my dearest, truest, closest friends of all--You. And with You, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Without the three of You, my life would be meaningless, I would be totally lost. You are the true meaning of agape. You are agape! You never reject me, even if I reject You. You never ignore me, even if I ignore You. You never stop loving me wholly and completely, even when I deserve it. You are the full essence of unconditional Grace.

And lastly, I hesitate to say this, but I do believe it--Lord I do thank you for those in my life that have hurt me. And the reason I hesitate is because being hurt is not pleasant. And I truly want be honest when I pray this and not a hypocrite. But I know that You have used these hurts to grow me. To make me a better person. Even though Your heart may have been breaking because mine was--it wasn't in vain. You were there. You were there when those who vowed friendship but later, for whatever reason, changed. You were there when a parent who gave me mixed messages--loving one moment, hurtful, abusive the next. The sibling that just left without reason. Whomever. I give that hurt to you Lord. On this day, I truly release it into Your capable hands. And I leave it--not to take it up anymore. I want to break the chain that has wrapped itself around my heart and spirit. The chain that has kept me in bondage. That has kept me from truly experiencing the full glory of Your love and grace for me and the love of others that You have placed in my life for me.

I love you my Precious Lord.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Merci à vous!--Day 2

"21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles." Romans 1:21-23 HCSB

Dear Lord,

Please, help me not to become like the Gentiles in the above verses. Help me not to become so accustom to Your awesome love for me that I forget to thank you. That I start taking You and Your wonderful life miracles for granted. That they become every day for me. Not the wonderful miracles that they are.

Please help me to continually--each and every day--ponder upon those blessed acts, pleasant or unpleasant. This includes the ones that I was aware of and the ones that I'm not aware of. I pray, please help my spirit--when I have my quiet time with You--to become aware of the hidden miracles that took place. For I desire to give You thanks for ALL things.

I want NO other God than You in my life. Help me to please not make my work, my education, my plans for the future, material wealth, my hobby, my volunteer work, my family,--anything--more important than You.

Please, also give me opportunites to share Your awesomeness with others. Help me to glorify You with my life, my actions, my words with others that You bring into my life path. Help me to be Your eyes, Your ears, Your mouth, Your heart. And I thank you for trusting me.

For You are my God, and I am Your child. And I cherish us. Amen

Monday, November 21, 2011

¡gracias--Day 1

"8 Give thanks to the LORD; call on His name;
proclaim His deeds among the peoples.

9 Sing to Him; sing praise to Him;
tell about all His wonderful works!

10 Honor His holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

11 Search for the LORD and for His strength;
seek His face always.

12 Remember the wonderful works He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced,"
1 Chronicles 16:34-36 HCSB

Dear God,

This Thanksgiving week, I want to make a conscious effort to try to thank You each and every day for being the God, the Father, that You are to me. Thank you for being a God that I can be proud of. That I can trust. That I can trust with ALL things. Not just some things.

Thank you so very much for all the things that I have seen and not seen that You have done for me. From the smallest to the greatest. For those times of helping me find my car keys, to the times that You are covering me with Your love when my heart is breaking or confused.

Thank you for Your strength. For sharing that strength with me when I am weak. When I am vulnerable.

I do seek your face always.

My heart does rejoice when I acknowledge how AWESOME You are! Sometimes, You just blow my mind! How I honor and adore You!

And as weird as it may seem, I am also truly grateful for those times that You do have to past judgement on me because it is during those times that I know that You love me enough, to want me to be the best I can be for Yourself, Your kingdom and myself.

You are my God, and I can't thank or express enough my feelings for You. Thank you for just knowing.

"34 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
His faithful love endures forever."
1 Chronicles 16:7 HCSB

Monday, October 31, 2011

Response

"17 There I will make a horn grow for David;
I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.

18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but the crown he wears will be glorious."
Psalm 132:17-18 HCSB

Have you ever been in this situation--someone that you were close to--suddenly ends the relationship and then you hear that this person or persons may be spreading rumors about you. How do you feel? Betrayed? Caught off-guard? You can't wrap yourself around the reason why. How could this person or persons do this to me? I am so hurt! What is your first response? Deny the rumors? Confront that person or persons? Respond back in like manner? Get even? Revenge.

All of these responses are normal--but we aren't normal are we? We, as Christians, need to rise above what our carnal nature wants us to do. The Bible is full of carnal responses by Godly men, but there is also Godly examples of how to respond.

The one that comes to me of course involves Jesus. Jesus picks His 12 disciples. His closest friends. He knew each and every one of their flaws and strengths. Maybe He even chose them on purpose because of those strengths and flaws. But the one that sticks out to me is Judas. Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray Him. It was part of God's plan. At one point, Jesus even tells Judas that he was going to betray Him. Then in Matthew 26:50 NIV, "as the soldiers come to the garden to arrest Jesus, Judas said, 'Greetings Rabbi!' and kissed Him. Jesus replied, 'Friend, do what you came for.'"

Brothers and sisters, what an example of how to respond! Of agape forgiveness. Coupled with the above verses, don't you see? When you feel unfairly treated, you don't need to worry. Your Father covers you. Your Father will make sure that your wrongs will be made right. That your enemies are the ones that will be covered in shame--not you. As long--you must remember this--as long as you stay above the norm, the carnal. He will make your crown shine bright.

So, what should you do? You need to prayerfully give your thoughts, initial reactions to your Heavenly Father. Pray for His gracious and agape spirit to cover and fill you.Spilling out into your world. Bringing honor to Him and His name as you are representing Him.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Places

“'Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
21 He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
22 He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king.'”
Daniel 2:20-23 NIV

When I was praying over the Bible, asking God what truth He wanted you to have today, He led me to this. And to be honest,I'm not sure why. But this is what He said to my spirit. He said that these verses will meet you, whomever you are, where you are.

If you are in the place that you just want and need to praise your God, as Daniel did, all four verses do that, but especially verses 20 & 23.

If you are in a place that is not good and you feel like you have been there for eternity, He gives you hope in verse 21.

If you are in need or desiring wisdom or words of knowledge, the last half of verse 21 meets you there.

If you are in a dark place where you don't want to be or should not be, verse 22 lets you know that He is even there, in those dark places, shining light, giving you a way out.

So please, I'm not going to tell you how to do it, but I would encourage you to just sit, pray and meditate over these verses--asking the Lord how He wants to use them to meet you today. To please have what He wants revealed to you, revealed to you.

'"Be still and know that I am God..."' Psalm 46:10 NIV

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

In God I Trust

"14 Wait for the LORD;
be courageous and let your heart be strong.
Wait for the LORD."
Psalm 27:14 HCSB

Well, I have to confess something. Yesterday I had to go on a 10 hour road trip and I usually bring our youngest with me. Not only for company, but it is also a our special one-on-one time. As you can imagine, a 10 year old can have a lot to say when he has his mother's undivided attention for 10 hours.

Anyway, Joey had gone to bed with the sniffles, so when I woke him up, I wasn't sure that he was up to going. And I was torn. I didn't want to go alone, but the mother in me said, Hello! You aren't going to be selfish and force him to go are you? Seriously!

Well, as God always does, He met me where I needed to be met. He had the above verse come before me--be courageous and let your heart be strong. Wait for (or in my heart, I thought upon) the Lord. Wow! What timing!

But in the moment of joyfulness, my spirit was checked. What was I putting my security in? The presence of my 10 year old son or the holy presence of my Heavenly Father? Once I got the verse, I was able to release the sadness and disappointment of this possible missed time with Joey.

I share this story in hopes that it helps you to grasp this verse. Our God, our Heavenly Father, is big. He is BIGGER than anything--no matter how large or small--that could ever discourage, frighten or dishearten you.

With Him and in Him, you can overcome anything. With Him and in Him, you can gather all the strength and courage you will ever need!

So, I challenge you--Who or what are you putting your strength and courage into? As you can see--like my situation yesterday--it doesn't have to be a great big major situation. It could just be something small and everydayish. But, we need to put ALL things and situations under the Lord's coverage.

Our God is SO MIGHTY!

"The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song."
Psalm 28:7 NIV

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Unfailing Love

"Come and listen, all you who fear God,
and I will tell you what he did for me.
For I cried out to him for help,
praising him as I spoke.
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But God did listen!
He paid attention to my prayer.
Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
or withdraw his unfailing love from me." Psalm 66:16-20 NLT


What a great statement of encouragement and hope!

God listens to us and acts, when we pray to him. The fact that God heard and acted on the psalmist behalf resulted in praise and joy.

Notice the progression of the above scripture. The psalmist is speaking to those that fear or reverently respect the Lord. A relationship with God is possible through his son Jesus. Do you have a respect for God?

Next the writer called out to God for help. He recognized his need and was humble enough to cry out to God. While the psalmist was crying out for help, he was also praising God. What a combination. Realizing your tremendous need and his tremendous grace and love.

Confession played a key role in answered prayer. Notice the psalmist did not cover over the fact that there was sin in his life. He admitted his fault and trusted God to forgive him.

We can have a life giving relationship with the God who loves us, and blesses us. It is his character to care for his children. Acceptance of his grace and a healthy reverence of God are keys to obtaining and sustaining your relationship with Jesus.

I hope this psalm helps you to walk in the reality of that relationship.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Abide in His Word

"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31,32 NKJV

Freedom. The heart cry of man. Wars are fought for freedom, money is paid for freedom, many wait for freedom.Jesus promises freedom from the power of sin and death. He offers deliverance from our hurts, habits, and hangups.

Notice the above progression of scripture. Jesus spoke to those who believed in him. It is impossible to receive a life in Christ without faith. We all put our faith in someone or something. Jesus said to those that believe in him, he will give everlasting life and favor with God.

Next is abiding in the word of God. Abide, is a word that we do not use very much. It means, to dwell, remain, and continue. The psalmist wrote;
" Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path."
Psalms 119:105 NLT

A key to freedom is to not simply visit God's word, the Bible. But to abide in his word.

The Holy Spirit helps us understand and apply God's word to our life, giving us strength for today and hope for tomorrow. The Holy Spirit leads us into the truth of God's word. We are bombarded with lies. We need the word of God to set us free.

Believe in Jesus. Abide in his word. Receive freedom!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Battle Cry!

Announce this to the godless nations:
Prepare for battle!
Soldiers at attention!
Present arms! Advance!
Turn your shovels into swords,
turn your hoes into spears.
Let the weak one throw out his chest
and say, "I'm tough, I'm a fighter."
Hurry up, pagans! Wherever you are, get a move on!
Get your act together.
Prepare to be
shattered by God!
Joel 3:9-11 MSG

Do you ever feel like you are in a war? Whenever you are trying to do right, you are drown with wrongness. When you make strides into freedom from fears, habits, hang-ups and hurts, all of a sudden--BANG!--you get hammered with a fresh line of blows to your area of infant strength growth.

Seriously, be honest--do you ever just get tired fighting? I do. Do you ever just want to make a fist and shake at Satan, yelling, "Just leave me alone, you big bully!?" I have. I'm not proud of those feelings, but I need to be honest and if I am, maybe you can too. I get ever so weary of "fighting the good fight." Of trying to rise above. To, as in my case, conquer my self insecurities--have my moment of feeling such peace and oneness with my God and fellowman--only to have that moment taken away by Satan.

But thankfully our God is a god full of grace and He gives us little gifts along the way. For example, just like today, the Lord gave me this verse which encourages me with this thought. Life--true, everlasting life--is a battle. And while I may get tired of having to be on top of it all the time, it's the price I pay.

It may be wearying to have to just "know" the truth and cling to it--but at least we have the truth to cling to. We are blessed to have the trinity--Father, Son & Holy Spirit to share the battle scars with. At least we have the armor of the Bible to protect our hearts, minds and souls. And the gift of prayer, when it just gets too much and we need to cry out.

Brothers and sisters, we cannot give up the good fight. For if we did, where would we be? Where would our world be? We do NOT want the evil one to win. After all, Jesus fought the ultimate fight for us--and that should be encouragement enough for a lifetime, don't you think?

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Purposeful Gleaning

23 Be glad, people of Zion,
rejoice at what the Lord your God has done for you.
He has given you the right amount of autumn rain;
he has poured down the winter rain for you
and the spring rain as before.
24 The threshing places will be full of grain;
the pits beside the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil.

Joel 2:23-24 GNT

Sometimes we look at the glass as half empty--when we should look at it half full. Our God is such a gracious God that even when we deserve to be punished, He always brings us back with grace. He always blesses us more than we could ever bless Him.

When we are going through times of trial, it may seem like years have gone by with no break from the turmoil. But oh, to the contrary, my dear friend. Our God has used our turmoil for our own growth. He has used it to make something that wasn't what it could be, to make it what it should be.

When you read these above verses, I have a request--first, pray over them. Then secondly, please break them down, verse by verse, and glean from them what the Lord wants you to glean. You may be surprised what insight you'll receive when you are purposeful with your gleaning. And then share that insight with someone that you trust. What a difference it'll make!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Freedom

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36 NLT

I love the truth of this verse. In Christ Jesus we have complete freedom from sin, the power of death, the devil, and victory over our hurts, habits and hang ups. The key to this truth is that the freedom and victory come from Christ. It is His doing. He does in us and through us what we cannot do for ourselves. We submit our lives to Him. He releases grace into our lives.

When we come to Jesus for freedom, we must believe that He can and will set us free. I have overcome porn, alcohol and drug addiction, and various other bondages. Each time I was very aware of my inability to have victory on my own strength. I was convinced that Jesus could and would set me free. I needed to want to be free, and release myself into His care.

How about you? What bondage needs to be broken in your life? Give it completely to Jesus. It's great to be free!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Lesson of Onesimus

"4-7Every time your name comes up in my prayers, I say, "Oh, thank you, God!" I keep hearing of the love and faith you have for the Master Jesus, which brims over to other believers. And I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it. Friend, you have no idea how good your love makes me feel, doubly so when I see your hospitality to fellow believers." Philemon 1:4-7 MSG

Have you ever read the book of Philemon? It's tucked between Titus and Hebrews. It only has one chapter and 25 verses--but what power those verses hold on the idea of Christian forgiveness, acceptance and acts of love!

Paul wrote this epistle to Philemon who was a believer and he also owned a slave, named Onesimus, that apparently had stolen from him and then ran away to Rome. In those days, when you stole something, you were put to death immediately.

But what is so cool is that God took Onesimus' bad choice and used it to have him meet Paul. Listen to Paul's teachings and then be transformed into a Christian. So, when Onesimus was transported back to his far away home, he was brought back as a "brother".

The lesson goes much deeper, but if I give it all away, you won't want to read it for yourself and you should.

But two thoughts just from the verses above. The first one--if there was ever a time that you felt that you had done something so bad, that you were so far gone, that you were so unacceptable to the Father of the Heavens, that there was no need for you to even hope that He would want you to turn to Him--this epistle should give you hope. It should show you that all you have to do is turn around. To asked for forgiveness from your gracious Heavenly Father and in a heart beat, you are there! He has desired you, prayed for you, wept over you and cheered for you since the moment you were created in the darkness of your mother's womb.

The second thought is this--that this epistle has spoken about our responsibly as Christians to received new Christians. To be loving. To be serving in Christ's name at all times. We need to not ever get so haughty that we forget our own path, our own history and look at others with judgmental eyes. With harden hearts. That we don't need to do good things to be forgiven, but we do good things because we are forgiven.

A gentle reminder--If you truly believe that God is the ruler of your life, then that means the ruler of ALL things. That means your life before, now and in the future. Rest in that. And pray to Him to help you know what that all means for you.

"15-16Maybe it's all for the best that you lost him for a while. You're getting him back now for good—and no mere slave this time, but a true Christian brother! That's what he was to me—he'll be even more than that to you." Philemon 1:15-16 MSG

Monday, September 26, 2011

Be Encouraged!

"34 You shared the sufferings of prisoners, and when all your belongings were seized, you endured your loss gladly, because you knew that you still possessed something much better, which would last forever.35 Do not lose your courage, then, because it brings with it a great reward.36 You need to be patient, in order to do the will of God and receive what he promises. Hebrews 10:34-36 GNT

Are you in this place? The place that the author of Hebrews was when he wrote this passage? As a fun fact, to this day they do not know for sure who wrote the book of Hebrews--it is never really clearly identified.

But what is amazing is that this author, who was experiencing life way back in 40-60A.D.--needed to encourage the people of his day the same way the people of our day need to be encouraged.

You see, back then, you could lose everything--your freedom, your possessions, your livelihood, your family--just for being a Christ-follower. For being true to your faith, you could die, be rejected, or treated as a criminal.

But through it all, it seems as though our ancestors did not regret, but joyfully accepted those events. Why? Because they kept their vision, "hope"--on the prize before them--Jesus Christ. Because they knew that the gift of Jesus was so much more rewarding than anything that they could ever hope to have here on earth in material possessions.

These days in America are no different. Oh, you may not get stoned to death or put into jail for believing in our Heavenly Father. But there are other things that attack us, other ways that little stones are being thrown at us--the world's values, the idea that you can sin and be forgiven, just to turn around and do the same sin again and again. That we need to put up with things, just to make everyone feel good. That as long as what you are doing isn't hurting anyone, it's OK.

We are attacked by the media, the shows on TV, the articles in the papers and magazines, the Internet, the movies--everywhere we look, we find that our values of purity and right and wrong and what is acceptable in our Father's eyes are being challenge. Slowly, bit-by-bit.

Then when you stand up for God's ways and values, you get stones thrown at you by those who call you judgmental. They challenge you, "Where is the love of Jesus in you?; and the list goes on.

What I see in this passage is this:

1. Don't get weary doing good in your faith walk with the Lord.
2. Stand up for God and His principles, no matter what the cost.
3. Be encouraged that even though it may be hard and at times you become tired of the attacks, keep your eyes on the greater vision, the greater hope--Heaven and your life there.

Our God is there to help you all along the way. How? By imparting His third person of the trinity, our helper the Holy Spirit, to come and reinforce us when we feel weak. To guide us when we feel lost. To encourage us when others want to discourage us. And to love you when you feel as though no one else does.

Our God IS an AWESOME God!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Cruisin'

"43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, 44 because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends." Luke 2:43-44 NLT

I was driving to church the other day and K-Love radio had a two minute commentator speak about this verse and it got me thinking.

What he said was this--how often is it that we are cruisin' along, thinking that we are all in tune with Jesus when something happens and we realize that we are all alone? Somewhere we have gone on ahead forgetting to bring Him along?

Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever thought that you are on board, that Jesus and you were walking, hand-in-hand, down the same path--and then--BANG, you hit a wall and find yourself thinking, "Hey! Where are You?"

It has to me and while I feel so foolish, I am actually grateful. Like Jesus' family, we can get so comfortable with the presence of Jesus, that we lose track where we are and where He is. Until we get that wake-up call, we may not even realize how off the path we are. Is that where you there today?

Praise our God that gives us warning signs when we are off on our own, basically doing our own thing. That He loves us so much and wants us to succeed so badly that--like a Loving Father should--He makes us stop, take inventory, and helps lead us back to the original path He started us on.

As a closing thought--this may be a great time to stop and take a honest inventory of where you are. Pray for discernment, insight and courage to truly see what He wants you to see. And then PRAISE Him! Our God is AWESOME!

"'The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" Luke 3:5-6 NIV

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Heart Bursting

"1 My heart bursts its banks, spilling beauty and goodness.
I pour it out in a poem to the king,
shaping the river into words."
Psalm 45:1 MSG

Do you remember the last time that your heart was so excited that it felt like it would burst it's banks? Was it when you meet your spouse? When you had your first child? That promotion? That dream car?

How does it compare to the moment when you received the truth that the King of Kings wanted to have you in His Family forever and ever? That moment when you truly and completely gave your heart, mind and spirit over to Him? Was there so much love that you just couldn't contain it inside of you? Maybe you wanted to shout, sing, dance or write about the excitement that your soul was experiencing.

Sometimes that moment--that wonderful, life-changing moment--gets dim as time goes by. Realities of life can come and snare some of the bursting, excitement away. Does it have to? No! Please fight for those moments. Your God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Who and what changes is us, you. It's us that allows life to draw us away from that first love excitement and fills it with the distractions of the world.

Here is a great question to ponder on for a moment--Can you say that your heart and tongue are in unison, as you meditate upon your King, the God whose throne is forever and ever?

"The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips." Proverbs 16:23 NKJV

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Back-to-Back

"A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT

Are you there today? Are you trying to do it alone and just aren't making it? Why? Don't you know that we weren't made to handle life alone? God knew that. That is why He gave us the third person of the trinity--the Holy Spirit.
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you." John 14:16-17 NLT

But again, at times, He knew that we would need more. We would need the companionship of others. That is why it is so important to cover yourself--surround yourself with a few solid, Christian friends that can support you when you can't. To strengthen you when you are weak. To pray for you when the words won't come. To love you when you are unlovable. To encourage you when you need encouragement. To reprimand you when you need reprimanding.

Our God is an all encompassing, MIGHTY God. He can and is capable of being all that we need. He wants that. But like a caring and compassionate Father, He knows His children and He knows that there will be times that we will need the feel His touch, His presence, His love--through the designated people that He has purposely placed into our lives. Please be mindful of this--these people are not to take the place of Him, but they are an extension of Him. Do you understand that?

So, back to the original question--Are you there today? If you are, please be praying that the person or persons that God wants to help you through, comes. That you see and recognize. That you don't let pride or self-sufficiency get the best of you--that you don't let those emotions keep the grace and blessing that God has in stored for you and for the others involved in His greater plan--from coming to you.

This is a new day! Be Glad and Rejoice in It! And Praise your Father through it all!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Ask!

"Your people did not conquer the land with their swords;
they did not win it by their own power;
it was by your power and your strength,
by the assurance of your presence,
which showed that you loved them."
Psalm 44:3 GNT

What lands are you trying to conquer today? Is it in your own power or the power of your holy Father?

We can try to win our battles in our own terms. In our own power. In our own wisdom. We seem to be wired that way. We make statements to God such as: "Seriously, I can do it." or, "Truly, my way is better." and, "For goodness sake, I know what I am doing!"But don't you understand--we can not do anything without the blessing and power of our Heavenly Father. He is our general. He is our shield. He is our sword. Whatever it is that we are trying to conquer--we need to send Him out before us. And whatever is trying to conquer us--He will slay. Whatever hurt, habit or hang-up that plagues us--no matter how strong we think we are, we aren't. Not on our own power, wisdom or terms. But call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--now we have power!

Please, if you have been struggling with something in your life--your land--and you've been trying to slay it all on your own--STOP! Call upon Jesus. He is only a heartbeat away. For when you call out His precious name, not only do you get Him, but you get God the Father and the Holy Spirit. And believe me, when you have the three of them all wrapped up in one, you have a almighty fortress that nothing can breakthrough.

Blessed assurance! How sweet it is! And it is yours just for the asking--ASK! Then remember to PRAISE! Praise before you even see, feel or know the outcome.

"For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true." 1 Thessalonians 1:5 NLT





Monday, August 15, 2011

Living

"Suddenly a windstorm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.

Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, 'Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?'

Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.

Jesus asked his disciples, 'Why were you afraid? Don't you have any faith?'

Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, 'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'"
Mark 4:37-45 CEV

Imagine yourself in the boat with Jesus. You've been working with Him all day and then He says to get in the boat because you need to go to the other side of the lake. So you do. While you are floating to the other side, this huge storm comes out of nowhere and you are tossed around like a rag doll. Your companions are fearful and nervous and whispering among themselves. And what is the main whisper? The main shake of the head in disbelief? Jesus. He's there, asleep at the back of the boat. What to do? Noone wanted to be the one to wake Him up. But finally the fear was too great and you bite the bullet and do it. You tap Him on the shoulder, Jesus opens His eyes, calmly stands up, speaks to the wind and the sea as though they are old friends, and everything gets calm and peaceful again. And you think, "Wow!"

Now, bring that feeling to the present. To your life right now. Here you are--a faithful follower of Jesus. Living hard for Jesus. When all of a sudden, a storm, a trial, a rough patch in the road--comes crashing in. You know that Jesus is there, He has to be right? He said that He would never leave you or forsake you. But you can't feel Him. You are a bundle of nervous. You feel like life or the situation is out of control. Where is Jesus? He has to be here! But if He was, why is everything still so tipsy-turvy? What is He doing? Sleeping? Ignoring me? How could He?!

Finally, as you cry out for the last time--all of a sudden--everything is starting to calm down. Peace is slowly coming back into focus. Your world is starting to level out. You say, "Praise be to you Jesus!"

And Jesus says to you, "Why did you fuss so? Don't you know that I am with you always and forever? During good times and bad. Thick and thin. But there are a couple of life hints that I need to inform you of: Life hint #1--Though I am always with you, times will not always be pleasant. In order for you to learn strength, patience, graciousness, forbearance, wisdom, discernment--I will need to let you go through storms. In order for you to learn true faith and to lean not on your own understanding, I will need to let you go through trials. Life hint #2--It is essential for you to remember this--I am the STRONGEST when you are the weakest. I can REIGN when you are on your knees. I can COMFORT when you are the most vulnerable. I am your God, and you are my child."

Today simply PRAISE Him!

"Our LORD and our God,
you are like the sun
and also like a shield.
You treat us with kindness
and with honor,
never denying any good thing
to those who live right.

LORD God All-Powerful,
you bless everyone
who trusts you."
Psalm 84:11-12 CEV

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Faithful Confidence

"God is our shelter and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken
and mountains fall into the ocean depths;
even if the seas roar and rage,
and the hills are shaken by the violence."
Psalm 46:1-3 GNT

This is one of the more famous psalms that David wrote. People have grasped onto it many a time as they are going through trying times. Martin Luther used to love to sing this psalm in song, and it gave birth to that stirring battle hymn: "A Mighty Fortress is Our God."

But how is it relevant in our world today? Is the calm confidence and triumphant trust that seems to have been breathe into every line relevant in the type of world that we experience everyday? Think about it.

Our world, your life and mine, is just as chaotic as was David's. Oh, there are differences of course, but the feeling is the same. And through all of David's crisis, through all of his trials, he clung to one thing--the power of his Holy Father to be there for him.

Now does that mean that his God would keep him from making mistakes--some of which was the main cause of his crisis or trials--no. But through it all, David remand faithful. David knew that even in his fumblings and shortcomings and just the plain fact that since he was a "God-lover", it made him a target--he was faithfully confident.

We need to have the same faithful confidence. How is it in your world? Your life? You know that you have the faithful commitment from your Heavenly Father to be there for you. Will He keep you from doing the wrong thing and causing your earth to shake or your mountains to crumble? Not always. But he will always be there to help you through it.

Sometimes we have to go through the earth shaking, mountain crumbling times in order to become the children God created us to be. Since He knew you from the moment that you were knitted in your mother's womb--He knew. Do you understand this?

These three verses of Psalm 46 reminds us of the power of our God. Reminds us of His promise to never leave us or forsake us. That itself is a comfort--at least to me.

Do we know what it is to make this psalm that is so perfectly simple in its meaning, and joyous in expression--our very own? Do we have the right conception of a God that is so strong that He can banish all our fears?

As thrones, governments and systems change with startling rapidity, you can stand solidally on this--that no matter what is happening in your outer world or the personal world within you--you can--and need to--be still and know that your God reigns--FOREVER. Amen.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
Psalm 46:10 NLT

Monday, August 1, 2011

Consumed

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11(NKJV)

Have you ever experienced something and then you come to find out that you enjoy it so much that you want to know more about it? And then the more that you know, the more that you seem to want to find out more. And it starts to consume you.

Well, this is what Paul is praying for his friends in Philippi. He knows the human nature. He knows that we can't get enough of a good thing. If we love something enough, we will do whatever it takes to learn more about it or to protect it, or to immerse ourselves in it.

That is how it should be in our relationship with Jesus. We should never get enough of Him. We should always be yearning for more and more and more. We should want to be so immersed in the journey of getting to know Him, to bond with Him, that it seems wrong when we are not.

My prayer for you is simple--I pray that you are blessed with this great yearning and thirst for what only your Heavenly Father can give you--eternal life. And I pray that you go and consume yourself, in His word and with a deep prayer life, until you cannot be filled anymore. That the power of the Holy Spirit fills you with the discernment and a deep, genuine love that you need in order to be pure in His image. And I pray these requests in His Holy, blessed name. Amen.

Monday, July 25, 2011

A New Friend

"I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope." Romans 15:13 CEV

Do you understand where hope comes from? Do you think its something that you can just make up on your own? Hope, true hope, cannot be conjured up by man's effort. No. It is God's gift to us by His Spirit.

And while we need hope, we are not saved by hope. We are saved by faith. But with salvation comes hope.

The cool thing about the trinity is this--that even though there are three distinct individuals, each with their own strengths and roles--they can also be squished into one--one AWESOME, complete God.

As hope sustains us in trials and tribulations, the Holy Spirit helps us when we pray. Have you ever have a relationship with someone that was so close that there was times that you didn't even need to actually speak words, yet you knew what the other was thinking? Well, that's how the relationship between the Holy Spirit and God our Father and Jesus the Son is. Their relationship is so close that their prayers to each other need not even to be spoken out loud. They just know.

Does the thought of the Holy Spirit scare you? It used to me. But now, I am slowly developing a whole new sense and appreciation of it. You see, The Holy Spirit is a part of God. It is one of the bridges between Him and us. Jesus was the other. And Jesus isn't scary so why should the Holy Spirit be?

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

A Thorny Situation

"Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 MSG

How many times have you've been there? Begging God to take away your "thorn?" When I as young, I read about Paul's thorn. Immediately an image of a sticker--like a foxtail getting stuck in your sock--sticking in his side would come to mind and I found myself cringing.

But lately, I'm getting to the realization that it's the little things that can become a thorn, not just the big things. It's not the big "sin", it's those little, every day irritates that can be just as much as a deterrent to your walk as anything. And it saddens me about me.

How many times do I let the little stuff steal my joy? How many times to I let Satan get my self-esteem by allowing little comments from others to make me insecure? How many times to I let my judgements of people keep the ones that need to feel God's love the most, at arms length? Too many.

If I believe, truly believe that Jesus died for ALL of us, then I need to accept ALL. If I believe, truly believe that my God has my best interests at heart--then I need to release the thorns. For you see, a thorn released is a situation to rejoice in. For each time I release a thorn, I grow a little more into what I desire with my whole being to be--made in the image of Him who formed me.

What about you? Have you come face to face with your thorns? And when you have, what will you do with them? It's the attitude that makes it a thorn or a blessing. Bring your thorns to your Father. As it states above;

"My grace is enough, it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own with your weakness."


He will be more than glad to help you make them vanish forever. You will not be judged. You will not be belittled. You will not be turned away. You just need to trust Him. Do you? Paul did.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The Power of a Wing

"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful,
because I come to you for safety.
In the shadow of your wings I find protection
until the raging storms are over."
Psalm 57:1 GN

This morning I was out early watering my vegetable garden. I heard this piercing cry in the sky. I looked up and tried to find the source of the sound. All of a sudden there it was--this beautiful Red-tailed Hawk.

I just stood there, enjoying the sense of freedom and beauty that this hawk was experiencing. You could just tell by the way it was gliding with the breeze that it was at peace and experiencing pure joy. It would tilt it's wings a little to the left, its body would glide left. Tilt it to the right, it would glide right. It's shadow was dancing across the ground. It was a total God moment for me. From deep in my soul, I heard, "What an AWESOME God I have!"

This verse reminds me of that experience. He's like that Red-tailed Hawk--soaring over us, keeping His eye sharp, looking for anything that may come and harm us. When He sees something--swoosh!!! Down He goes and gathers us into His strong wings with the soft under feathers. We are so blessed!

Take today and thank Him for all He is, and for all He does. Can you imagine life without Him?

Monday, July 11, 2011

Do I Need a Bath!

"'I'll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I'll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I'll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that's God-willed, not self-willed. I'll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You'll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You'll be my people! I'll be your God!'" Ezekiel 36:25-28(MSG)

Here's a question--when you sin, do you feel dirty? Do you wish you could just wash the bad away? That if you wash hard enough, if you use enough soap, that you will be finally clean?

I remember when I was young and I would lie. When my mother would catch me in it, (which was every time because I was not a smart liar), I would have to have my mouth washed out with soap. It was horrible! To this day, I can't really stand to use a bar of Ivory soap without thinking of my past sin.

You see, my mother was trying to keep me from enjoying my sin. She was trying to keep me clean, so she made the aftermath of it distasteful--and boy it did! And so that is what the Lord was saying to the Israelites--to us. That He is there to wash us clean. He wants to bring us home to Him, wash off all the sin and dirt that we have committed and gathered along life's path and wash it completely away.

Why? Because if He kept it there, if He ignored it, He couldn't stand being next to us. Our sin would start stinking so much that no amount of Fabreeze would be able to make Him bear to be close to us.

Sometimes He may be able to do it gently, caressing the past away with soft, little strokes, warm soapy water and a scrunchy. Other times He may have to use a firmer technique--like a Brillo pad--to make sure that the sin doesn't ever come back.

For you see, God is free to judge and He is equally free to be gracious. His stern judgements on us ultimately reflects His grace. Sometimes He allows us to get really dirty, so dirty that we are just overwhelmed by it--so that He can give us a renewed life, a changed heart and spirit. Then His presence in us will be seen clearly as a blessed gift.

God is the ultimate Father. And He loves us enough not to let us stay in our own filth. It may hurt us when He has to help us deal with it--but you know what? I feel blessed to know that He does love me that much. How about you?

Do you need a bath? Go to your Heavenly Father. He has the water running.

Monday, July 4, 2011

One Nation, Under God

"9 But you are (A)A CHOSEN RACE, A royal (B)PRIESTHOOD, A (C)HOLY NATION, (D)A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you (E)out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 (F)for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY." 1 Peter 2:9-10 NASV

Last night I was watching the fireworks at the fairgrounds. Our oldest son was in the color guard with his boyscout troop. We said "The Pledge of Allegiance" and a young gal sang, God Bless America, and then with all the brilliance of fireworks and the patriotic songs playing in the background, I was struck with the thought that we are so blessed and felt lead to praise my God for the gift of our country. Then, when I got home, I was feeding our dogs and looked up at the night sky, and boy, the stars were out! My spirit spoke to me. The man made fireworks were beautiful, but even in all it's brilliance, it could not even begin to compare to the infinite beauty that the Lord's night sky held every night. And I felt Him wash over me. I praise Him!

Today is our nation's birthday and I think we should celebrate. Celebrate that God created this great land for all of us. Rich, poor, middle class; man, woman, child; white, black, yellow, brown, olive, red; old, young, middle aged or newborns--it truly doesn't matter--at least to God. He created this land for All of us. For us to live in a free world that we can serve Him and worship Him anyway we choose. Think of all the beauty and opportunities we have over other nations! The grand parks, the beauty of the seasons, the animal life; the grand bodies of water; the sunrises and the sunsets--the blessings are too numerous to list--but do you get the picture?

Sometimes if all you remember is what you hear on the television or on the radio, or read in the papers or magazines--you could be very depressed. And yes, there are many things that are not right with the world--but is that God's fault? No. Don't we have the gift of freewill? Yup, we do. Have we used it wisely? No, not always.

We can't fix the world all at once. But you know what? If each of us took a part and opened our Bibles, read and prayed for ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our town, our county, our state, our nation and then our world--we could. It starts with us. We need to take back our role as Christians.

Our founding fathers fought for this land so that they could worship their God, not the King of England. They created the laws of the land on the Holy Bible. So, as they use to say, "we do have good bones" or in other words, our foundation was built on solid ground. We, as a nation, have gotten lazy and surly.

So, what do you say? Let's say the Pledge of Allegiance today, but let's say it as a prayer, and not a song. And let's pray as we say the verses so that they become real to to us.

I pledge allegiance
To the flag
Of the United States of America,
And to the republic,
For which it stands,
One nation,
Under God,
Indivisible,
With liberty
And justice for all.


Thank you Jesus for the gift of my country. Amen

Saturday, July 2, 2011

A New Name

"He set off. When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: 'Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?'

He said, 'Who are you, Master?'

'I am Jesus, the One you're hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you'll be told what to do next.'"
Acts 9:3-6 (The Message)

Saul, who we now know as Paul, was as bad as they get. For some reason, he just hated the Christians and in that hate, did many horrible things.

I don't know about you, but if I was God, I wouldn't have wasted the time of day on Saul. I would be so angry, so hurt--that I would have turned my back on him. Thankfully, God isn't like me.

There are two things caught my attention in this passage. Did you catch them? Look closely. The first thing is this, where Saul asks, "Who are you, Master?" In other translations, it says, "Lord". Whether "Master" or "Lord", it doesn't change the fact that Saul knew that he was with God. He knew the signs--a voice from heaven, bright shining lights--he knew. He knew he was in the presence of the very God of the Christians he was making a career out of prosecuting.

Does that tell you something? Does it show you that even when we are at our worst, we know Him. Our spirits just know. It's liken to how flowers know how to bloom, birds know how to nest--it's just an instinct that is planted deep within all of us.

It also tells us another thing--God will come to us. Good or bad--if we are meant to be His--and we all have the chance and choice--He will call to us.

The second attention getter was the last line--where Jesus tells Saul who He was, acknowledging to Saul that He knew what Saul was doing, and even with that knowledge, He, Jesus, had a mission for him once he got to the city.

Wow! Did you catch the main 'wow' behind the act of Jesus? Here was the man that was prosecuting His church, going to Damascus to get papers to be able to persecute more of His church, and Jesus, stops him in the middle of the road, comes to him personally, speaks and tells him that he, Saul, is to go to the town and not do what he was intending to do, but to wait for more of Jesus' instructions. Jesus was going to talk to him again! And what did Saul do? Go the other way? Say No? No. Saul went!

Granted, in the process of all of this, Jesus does blind Saul and in three days, sends a disciple named Ananias to Saul to fulfill a vision that Jesus had given Saul, when Saul was praying--praying! And so it was done, Ananias went and did as Jesus asked and the scales fell from Saul's eyes.

We could go so much deeper, but what I feel that I am supppose to share with those of you who feel that you are so bad, that you feel there's no hope for you. There's hope. That if you feel that whatever you have done in your past or maybe are even still doing now, God can't and wouldn't want to have you in His family. There's room. That there is no use for you--ahh, but there is.

If Jesus can use Saul, with all of his bad behavior and past, to further His kingdom--what more can He use you? You were born to be His. Just like Saul. But what you do with it is your choice. If you can just turn and come to your Father, asking for forgiveness, asking to be brought back into His heavenly Family--He would have you there so fast your head would spin. It is US that keeps us away from Him--don't you see?

So come. Come and let Jesus give you a new name--if Saul can become Paul--won't it be exciting what name Jesus will give you?

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

The Essence of God

"The singers were accompanied in perfect harmony by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, as they praised the Lord singing:

Praise the Lord, because he is good,
And his love is eternal.

As the priests were leaving the Temple, it was suddenly filled with a cloud shining with the dazzling light of the Lord's presence, and they could not continue the service of worship."
2 Chronicles 5:13-14 GNT

It must have been an awesome sight when the glory of the Lord so filled His house that the priests could not even finish ministering.

How would it feel to experience such an overwhelming sense of God's presence and glory in our lives? That His presence would just fill us to overflowing? I yearn for that--don't you? If there was some way that I could make sure that that could happen, I would so love it to be. But I know me--I know that it's not that God can't or won't be that presence in me. It's my sin that keeps Him from doing it. Do you know what I mean?

Toby Mac sings a song that says that we need to fill our homes with so much love that the back door has to crack to let some of the love ooze out. I think of that with this idea. That if we could let God enter our lives and fill it up so much that we have to open up and give some of it away in order to not explode--what a witness that would be!

My prayer for us today is this: Please, allow your Heavenly Father to come in like a cloud and fill us--each and every little teeny, tiny corner with ALL of Him. That we reek with the essence of Him. That people from a mile away, will be able to see that He is in us and we are in Him.

If this was to happen, what a spiritual life it would be. I so desire to be glory-filled. How about you?

Monday, June 27, 2011

Driver's Training

"Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. 'Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for?'"Matthew 16:24-26(MSG)

How many times have we invited Christ into our lives and then we tell Him what we want Him to do? Does it sometimes seem as if we think that we are the ruler, the holy one and God was just created to help us to have an easier life?

We may have good intentions, but sometimes our intentions block what God had intented to be used for our growth. For example, the verses right before these were the exchange between Jesus and His disciple, Peter. You see, Jesus had just told the disciples that He was going to Jerusalem and while there, He was going to have to suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law. He also told them that He would be killed (His words were 'must be') and on the third day be raised to life.

Well, Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Jesus saying, "Never Lord! This shall never happen to you!" Was Peter trying to be hurtful? No. Was he trying to be controlling? What do you think? I think, that in his love for Jesus, he wanted to protect Him and just the thought of someone being mean, hurtful and killing his friend--he got protectively controlling. As a mom, wife, daughter, sister and friend, I can understand that. There are times that in my love, I have probably cause a life lesson learned to be unlearned. I've stood in the way of God's plan because I didn't want to see the ones I love hurt or hurting.

But then, my spirit gets a check. I need to trust that even if the situation is not the most desirable one that I would want to have myself or a loved one to experience or be in--if I truly trust my God 100%--then I need to trust that He has the better interest in mind and heart. Do you understand that?

Can you imagine if Peter had been successful and talked Jesus out of going or was able to prevent Him from getting to Jerusalem and being crucified? What would have happened to God's perfect plan then? We would be so sadly lost. Do you realize that? Do you realize that if Jerusalem and that whole situation--sad and horrible as it was--hadn't happened, that we would not even be able to know our God or have a relationship with Him? How awful!

So the lesson learned is that even if we cannot understand what the bigger picture is--God does. Even if it causes us pain or is uncomfortable--it is still God's plan. And as God's plan, He's in the driver's seat. If we truly want God to be the head of our lives, if we are truly handing Him the steering wheel--we have to let Him have both hands on it and not just one. Get it?

Friday, June 24, 2011

Just Turn Around

"O God, you are my God,
and I long for you.
My whole being desires you;
like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land,
my soul is thirsty for you.
2 Let me see you in the sanctuary;
let me see how mighty and glorious you are.
3 Your constant love is better than life itself,
and so I will praise you.
4 I will give you thanks as long as I live;
I will raise my hands to you in prayer.
5 My soul will feast and be satisfied,
and I will sing glad songs of praise to you."
Psalm 63:1 GNT

David was such a complex man. On one hand, he was very human and made human mistakes--sin. On the other, he loved God with all his heart. You can see and feel that when you read through the Psalms.

When he was in the Desert of Judah, David wrote this Psalm as a confession of longing for God and for the security His presence offers when deadly enemies were threatening him. He remembered the peace and freedom that his close relationship with God felt like. And he yearned for that feeling of warmth and security--back again.

Have you been there? Have you been in a situation that you wished that you weren't in? You wished you could go back in time and just be like a child who could crawl up into your Father's lap and feel loved, safe, forgiven and secure? You can.

Your heavenly Father is just waiting for you to ask Him. All you have to do is turn around and come running. There is nothing so bad or so awful that your heavenly Father would turn His back on you. You see, we will always be like a David. We will also desire to be good and perfect for our Heavenly Father, but fall short. Why? Because we're also descendants of Adam and Eve. We will always have that tug-a-war inside of us. Free-will verses God-will. Some days we will overcome it, and then there will be those hard days when it will overcome us.

Your Father knows that. That is why He sent Jesus. He sent Jesus down to be our bridge. Because on our own, we would never be able to have a true relationship with Him. So, Jesus had to come. And freely Jesus came--He loved us that much.

Along with Jesus, He also sent down the Holy Spirit. You see, again, the trinity--the Father, Son and Holy Spirit--three persons so entwined that they are one. It takes the presence of the trinity in our lives for us to be the faithful children we need to be.

So, please, just turn around. Turn around and come running to your Father. Pour out, as David has, all your sorrow, your shame for acts done, all your love to Him--asking for forgiveness. If you do that, then you will also see and experience the strength, gloriousness, forgiveness and constant love of His being.

It will only take a second--but what a mighty second!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Power of Three

"16 I ask God from the wealth of his glory to give you power through his Spirit to be strong in your inner selves,17 and I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love,18 so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love.19 Yes, may you come to know his love although it can never be fully known and so be completely filled with the very nature of God." Ephesians 3:16-19 (GNT)

What touched my spirit about when I was lead to these verses was that I felt the love. I found myself thinking, "Wouldn't that be the beautiful prayer to pray over someone?" And then I thought, "I would love to have someone pray that prayer over me."

In those verses, if you look at them closely, you will discover the trinity. How? Well, first of all, verse 16, Paul is asking that God's Spirit would make you strong. Secondly, verse 17, that by Christ's indwelling-making His home--in your hearts through faith and thirdly, verse 19, and that they would be filled to the measure of all the fullness by the very nature of God. This threefold fullness of God is the believers state in God.

You see, in order to be a full, well-rounded Christian, you need to have all three persons in the trinity--The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are all interlaced and entwined with each other to help make you strong. If you have any less than three, you are vulnerable. You are exposed. It's like being outside in the snow--you have your boots, your gloves but no jacket. Are you going to be protected by the elements? Well, your feet and hands will but the rest of you are subjected to freeze--so in the end, so will your hands and feet.

Let's cover each other with that prayer, shall we? Your God is SO awesome. He truly is.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Perspective

"36 Do you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? Of course not!37 There is nothing you can give to regain your life." Mark 8:36-37(GNT)

Sometimes is seems that some people would give up everything to get ahead. To win that promotion. To purchase that house in the ritzy neighborhood. To get that 'to-die-for' body. The mate of a lifetime.

But in the end, what would you have to show for it? Promotions go away. Homes are just houses without a soul. Bodies get old. Not all mates are meant for a lifetime--only the one God made for you.

So--at times, you may have to make a choice--do I sacrifice it all for what I think is important or do I sacrifice everything for what the Lord is telling me is important? Because in the end, everything else may go by the wayside, but what God had begun as a good work in you, that will stay, if you don't neglect it.

What do you need to do? Keep your eyes focus on the goal--Jesus. If you do that, then you should find the rest of you following close behind. Will it be easy? No. Not always. But you know, some treasures are more valuable the harder they are to find. The same goes with your walk. It's worth the fight.

"2 Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end. He did not give up because of the cross! On the contrary, because of the joy that was waiting for him, he thought nothing of the disgrace of dying on the cross, and he is now seated at the right side of God's throne." Hebrews 12:2(GNT)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

O Lord, Which One?

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10 NIV

This verse seems to go hand-in-hand with Luke 4:42b-44. This is where Jesus had just returned from being in a solitary place with His Father. The people didn't want Him to leave. He had healed many of their own, driven out demons and they wanted to keep Him all for themselves.

But what did Jesus do? Jesus said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." Luke 4:43. He couldn't stay. His purpose was to be a traveling preacher.

Jesus had many gifts--in fact--He had all the Spiritual gifts. But He knew what purpose and gift He was to do and use. What about you? Do you know your purpose and gift(s)? If you have more than one gift, do you know which one the Lord wants you to use for His glory and purpose? Or are you running around, at one point you think it's this one and then at another point you think it's that one? You feel a little crazy. A little frazzled.

Do you know how Jesus knew which of His many gifts He was to focus on? What His purpose was? He took time to get away and be alone with His Heavenly Father. A place of solitude. People are crazily looking for Him everywhere. Where was He? Alone with His Father, communing with Him.

If you don't have a clear purpose, a clear vision on what gift that your Heavenly Father wants you to use, then why not do what Jesus did? Go to a solitary place and commune with Him. Prayerfully consult with Him about your desire to have a clear purpose and vision. You may not get it that very second, but please, be faithful in the asking. He will give it to you.

Don't wear yourself out like a butterfly--fluttering here and there, looking for the next best flower that will have the sweetest nectar. God wants you close to Him. He is your source. Tap into it. And once it is revealed to you, apply it as the verse above says, use it to serve others in your Father's gracious name and do it faithfully.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Mine

"But the crowd laughed at him because they all knew she had died. Then Jesus took her by the hand and said in a loud voice, 'My child, get up!' Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.” Luke 8:53-55 NLT

What do we know about this child? We know that the child was a girl, and if you read a couple of verses earlier, you find out that she is about 12 years old and her father, Jairus, was a ruler of the synagogue. We also discover that she was dying and because of that, her father came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with Him to come to his house.

Jesus does come, but not after healing a woman of internal bleeding just because her faith was so great that all she had to do was touch the edge of His cloak.

Do we know if the girl was a believer? Do we know if she was baptized? If she had given her life to Jesus? No. But do you notice how Jesus addresses her when he finds her dead in her home? Look closely. He says to her, "My child, get up!" He doesn't say, "Little girl, get up." or "Hey you, get up." He doesn't even say simply, "Child, get up."

Instead, He calls her "My" child. What could we take away from this? We can take the fact that we are born God's children. That we are His from day one of conception. That He has loved us from the beginning of time and died for that love. He has claimed us from the alpha-the very first--and continues to love us until the omega--the end.

Then what is this business about asking Jesus into our lives in order to be saved? Very good question. That is when we accept His presence. His unending love. His arms full of graciousness. His faith in us. Does this make sense to you? You see, He has always and forever loved and had faith in you. Asking Him into your life and to be your Lord and Savior is your way of showing Him your love and faith for Him.

So, now that you know that you have been His child from the very beginning, how about asking Him to be your Heavenly Father from this moment on? He will come running, with joy everlasting.

Monday, May 30, 2011

The Twist

"Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. 'Lord,' the man said, 'if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.'

Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be healed!' And instantly the leprosy disappeared."
Matthew 8:2-3 NLT

Like many of you, I have heard this verse explained a number of times. But today, when I was led here, the Lord showed me a different twist. Follow me and see if this hits a cord with you.

The twist isn't just that Jesus can heal of us our physical diseases. If you took the word 'leprosy' and replaced it with the word 'sin', how would it speak to you? "Suddenly a man with sin approached him and knelt before him. 'Lord, if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean' ...Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I am willing,'...'Be healed!' And instantly the sin disappeared." Would it tell you that you can believe that Jesus will heal you from your sin? That He doesn't hold it over you? That you can believe Him when He says that He came to free you from your bondage. That He died for your sins. To be your covering from them. That He is enough?

You don't have to win the approval of people. You don't have to earn your place with Him. His grace is sufficient. He willed it. All you have to do is believe, ask and receive. Nothing more, nothing less. When you try to please others, or to even please your Heavenly Father, it takes away what He already did for you. Don't take that away from Him. What He did, He did freely without any regrets. Without any second thoughts.

Just give Him what He wants--your heart--totally and complete. With no hidden places. If you do that, He will know it was worth it.

"And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him...When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God." Romans 6:8. 10 NLT

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

A Lesson Learned

"I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:
God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He's all I've got left."
Lamentations 3:19-23 (The Message)

The prophet Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations. He wrote it after the third siege and fall of Jerusalem. He was overcomed by personal grief. Not only for himself, but for God's nation.

It seemed senseless. It didn't have to come to this. But Jerusalem had become haughty and hard-hearted. They had turned their backs against their God. They had to become totally devastated in order to be able to truly come back to their one true God.

Is that you? Have you had to get to the very bottom of bottom in order to get your life back? To come to your Heavenly Father, truly saved and repented? Ready to do whatever it takes to be one with Him again?

Jeremiah had been thrown into the dungeon by malicious foes, yet he proved the goodness and nearness of God as ever faithful. His cry was heard and deliverance came. Can it be that you are in the dark dungeon of your own making? Despair not--God is near, and He can make your dungeon luminous with the radiance of the His love and the Holy Spirit. Listen for the whisper of His voice. Fear not! Humbly come to Him--He is waiting for you.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Teach Me O Lord!

"Teach me Your way, O LORD;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name."
Psalm 86:11 NASB

David was a man after God's own heart. Even so, even with the heritage that David had, he still sinned. He was still a rebelious son. He loved God, He was proud of his heritage, but that didn't keep him on the straight and narrow. He still had his struggles.

Does that give us privilege to sin? No. But each time we fall short, it gives us another chance to grow closer to our Heavenly Father. To experience first hand, His graciousness and merciful spirit. Hopefully, we are learning what is expected of us. We are learning what it is that we should be doing. This is what saved David. Even though he fell time after time, after each occurance, he cried out to his Heavenly Father. He sang His praises and pleaded for forgiveness.

God will honor us if we pray this prayer. Teach me Your way, O Lord. What a prayer! Six words. Six sweet yet powerful words to our Father's ear. A refreshing breathe for His heart.

Praying that the Lord will teach you His ways will allow to you to become a soft plyable heart that the Lord can use to shape and form into the son/daughter that He created you to be. To be what He wants you to be--not what you think you should be.

"and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them." Jeremiah 32:39 NASB